After the teachers had finally coaxed Kayl into coming with them, Brian was left alone again. Sitting on a rock, he sighed.

"Guess that's one idiot out of the list." He said to himself.

More (partially) naked girls came after Kayl. All of them looking like they'd gone through hell. Their clothes torn in different places. Shivering as though it was cold. But he knew it wasn't cold.

Still, their arrivals gave him hope. In front of the dark tunnels, he waited for Brandon to come. All until the crystals turned orange did he realize that his stomach was growling. It looked as if the sun had set above them.

"I'm wasting time here. I have to focus." Brian reminded himself.

He stood up and walked towards the teacher's area where Kayl was being kept.

"There's just too many of us." The man with square glasses and a tie said, "The only thing we have is that pond over there. I checked, there're no fishes in it. Even if we find something, how long will that be?! We can't eat leaves forever."

"We have to go into the tunnels," A fat old man said grimly, "Gather all the teachers that're chosen and some from the senior students if it's not enough. Whatever's inside there killed Abe. Smith, Rachel, Jorge, Stevenson, & Gregarius's class are also missing.

"That's already around 100 students..." Another teacher said.

"Can't we just call someone—"

"In case you haven't noticed yet, we're in a God. Damn. Cave!" The fat old man yelled, "There is no reception here!"

The teachers argued among one another. It was becoming obvious what they had to do, but some still hesitated. No one knew what dangers were inside, after all. And they couldn't just ask those girls either.

Taking note of the teacher's condition, Brian kept walking until he saw Kayl and the other girls being treated by the old nurse.

Kayl looked like she was doing much better than before. A large cloth covered her back. Brian wondered where she'd gotten that, but after seeing the nurse's torn skirt, he brushed the thought.

Her eyes though. There was something different about them, but Brian couldn't tell what it was. It was as if for a split-second, they were dead.

"You, doing ok?" Brian asked as he gently smiled at her. But then, he saw the old nurse's scowl as she looked at him.

"She's restin' rite noew, luv. Why don't ya keep ya stick to ya self. Go on." She said with an accent that seemed to be a mix between British and Norwegian. At least, that was what Brian thought.

"It's ok, he's a friend." She said. It was a weird thing being called a friend, Brian thought.

"Alright, luv. Doen't push ya self too hard noew." The nurse smiled at her with loving warmth.

"Yes, Ms.Ida."

The nurse stopped tending to Kayl's bandages for now, giving the two some privacy. He sat beside her.

"So where's—" Kayl's nose suddenly wrinkled. "Auughhh! You smell like shit, Sam! What the fuck?!"

"Yeah, don't mind it." Right. He had almost forgotten about that.

Holding her nose, Kayl sighed, "Anyway, where's Brian?"

Then again, she never quite remembered what Brian looked like. She knew that he was from her class, but they never really spoke to each other.

"I'm Brian." His face turned expressionless, "Surprised? And don't just scream my name in front of everyone while you're fucking naked. Even if no one knows me, I'd leave a fucking great impression if a naked girl decides to scream my name out in public."

Hearing the words 'fuck' and 'naked' twice, the nurse turned her head around. Only to find a friendly smiling Brian. Thinking that she was getting old, the nurse dutifully went back to her work.

"..." Kayl's mouth was agape. Surely, she was shocked by everything.

She was about to say something but held it back. Then she was clearly gonna get angry, but couldn't say anything. In the end, Kayl pursed her lips and pointed her finger at Brian as if to show him that she was mad.

"Look, I know you're an exhibitionist. So I'm just going to go straight to the point." He continued, "Everyone will starve. Those who don't will get robbed. And even if they don't get robbed, they'll get killed. Eventually."

"B—but that's... No! Look I'm not an exhibitionist! Besides, that'll never happen. The teachers will find a way. For sure. We're teenagers, not animals. We don't kill each other for food."

"You're right. We are teenagers. But that's what makes it so dangerous." Brian's face dimmed as he explained the reasoning to her, "The teachers won't find anything. They won't help us. They know there's too many of us. It'll be too much work."

"So I'm taking a few people with me." Brian said, "With your close experience with those monsters, we could—"

"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!!!" She yelled. All the other girls looked at them. Kayl curled herself up into a ball. "Just leave me alone..."

"No, you still don't get—"

The old nurse suddenly gripped on Brian's shoulder. Tightly. "No luv, ya the one who doesn't get it yet."

"But—"

"Ya should leave. Noew."

"..." Turning quiet, Brian stood up and walked past the nurse's glare. Her nose twitched as he did so.

"Brandon said that you were a fucking coward. And that he fucking hates you..." He could her weeping as she said so. "Those were his last words. I hope you're happy."

Brian paused, but he said nothing as he left them.

If only he had spoken to her more gently— more patiently— then maybe she'd agree to join him.

But it looks like the tension was getting into his head. He couldn't blame her. He could only blame himself.

After deciding what to do next, Brian went to the pond that the teachers had mentioned earlier. Though, it was more like a small lake. He saw a few couples enjoying the beautiful scenery. The orange crystals' shine reflected on the pond, giving it a warm feeling.

"Fucking idiots." Maybe it was because he was still angry and bitter, but his pessimism seemed to grow. Brian knew better. These idiots hadn't seen the horrors yet.

Taking a sip from it, he found the water to be reasonably drinkable. He made a note to boil the water if he wanted to drink it later and checked to see if it has any fishes. Better safe than sorry.

Oh, he should probably shower later too.

And so he went back to the open space. Since his last partner died, and his last recruiting failed, Brian was still alone. He came here to find a partner.

Slowly, Brian approached a group of people that looked sociable. They downright declined. Then he went and asked a few strays. They awkwardly rejected his offer. After that, he went looking for other loners. When he finally found one, that guy gave him a sneer.

"Fuck, can't they see that I'm trying to help them?!" Brian swore in frustration. "What? Can't take a little shit on your fucking nose?!"

Slowly, he calmed himself down. He should've thought about this more carefully.

"Ok. Calm down. What should I do?"

"Hmm, those dogs might help me if I give them some dice..."

"Fuck, but I don't know if I brought enough..."

"I knew I should've brought more..."

"..."

"...Or maybe I can also give them that hentai—"

"Did you just say hentai?!"

The freckled girl beside him interrupted his thoughts. Just as Brian was about to fuck her up with cold roasts and swear words, he saw that sparkle in her eyes. That twinkle. That interest.

Bingo.

"The name's Nancy." She shook his hand while holding her nose. "I'm no man-killer, but I can proudly say that I have a boyfriend."

"Well, aren't you straightforward." At least she was better than those idiots.

"I'm Sam by the way. Here's the book. Remember, I'm only lending it to you. After you're done reading, give it back to me. You can only read it when I'm around. In return, I also need your help." Brian explained as he gave her the book.

They were standing under the shades. Somewhere near the crowded open space. After she agreed to wait, Brian went back to the tree (with his bag) to take the book.

Nancy wasn't quite as tall as him (Brian was about 172cm). On top of her uniform, Nancy drabbed a creme colored wool sweater. Her black and wavy hair, only reached her shoulders. Unlike anyone he'd seen so far, Nancy had brown freckles around her nose and cheekbones. Oh, and she also had dimples whenever she smiled.

"Ok ok, I get it." Nancy beamed as she received the book from his hands.

"Hmm, not bad. A hentai doujinshi of the famed Sailor Moon series. An alternative rendition of episode 173 from the TV-series where Sailor Moon hooks up with Black Moon instead of T—"

Wait. Something was wrong. Squinting her eyes at the book, she couldn't find a single crease on the book. Let alone any dog ears.

"What the hell?!" She turned the book around. "It's in mint condition?!? Are you that careful when you read this?! Like, how do you even—"

She gestured with her fist going back and forth.

"I never read them." Brian shrugged. It wasn't his anyway. He was trying to find a good stick. "I just keep it inside the plastic."

'Whaaaat,' She thought. Her mouth gaping. 'This guy's crazy!'

"So you're saying you've never read this. Like, ever?!"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

"Just a tiny peek?"

"For the fourth time, No. I've never opened it."

Brian could tell that she was trying to joke around with him, even if they had just met. This wasn't the first time he met people like her (Though, it was still a first to meet the 'bubbly' kind). But joking around? That was the last thing he needed.

At the same time, however, Nancy was utterly confused. A guy who brings hentai to school was definitely a pervert. If it was anyone else who told her otherwise, she would've scoffed at them. But looking at this mint-condition doujinshi, and that expressionless face he was giving her, she was having doubts.

"Then why'd you bring it to school?!— Well, before everything happened anyway." She asked, curious to know.

"..." Brian ignored her. After finally finding a good straight branch, hanging on one of the trees, he smiled. He took his flip knife out.

Climbing the tree, he made sure that he had a good hold of it before continuing. Using the serrated part of the flip knife, he began cutting the branch. This was gonna take a while.

"Oh, don't tell anyone I have this."

"You're not answering my question, why'd you bring it to school?" After being ignored once, Nancy's interest in knowing only grew.

"It's not your business," Brian told her.

"Oh come on, Sam. Pleaaaseeee..."

"No."

"I'm not going until you tell me why."

"You're here because I need your help."

"Then I'm not helping until you tell me why."

"Give me back the book."

Her face was terrified, "Ok, ok! Fine. Geez."

Time quickly passed and the two were quiet. Brian was too occupied in cutting the branch while Nancy was just busy reading the book. She hummed softly as she flipped another page.

The talk among the crowd was softer than before. Everyone was getting anxious. No one knew what was happening, and it looks like it was starting to get to them. The pressure. Or more specifically, the hunger.

No one could ignore that thing's prophecy. Even if some of them thought it was ridiculous.

Hours had passed since they came here. From the looks of things, the teachers were finally catching unto something. A solution. Seeing ten of them coming out to the open-space (along with some students) with primitive swords and wooden shields. Others were using makeshift torches and flashlights instead of shields too.

After giving a reassuring speech to everyone to tell them to calm down (Brian didn't really listen to it), they went towards the tunnel. He could hear the crowd cheering for them. Wishing them good luck. Dispelling some of their worries.

"They must be chosen," Brian muttered on the tree, "—Or acknowledged. Whatever that is." He made a note to find out.

He was startled to see them with weapons. But at this point, he thought that he shouldn't.

DOOSH!

When the branch finally fell, Brian sighed. He hadn't expected the tree to be so dense. But dense was good. A time well spent. He ignored the looks of other students and climbed down.

"Here, make it sharp. I'm going to take a break." Brian said as he grabbed another two sticks. He wanted to make something else.

"What?" She stopped reading and looked at him. Puzzled. "You want me to sharpen that? Wait, were you trying to make a spear this whole time?! What do you even want to do with it?"

"I'm going to find food." He replied.

"Oh, right. Makes sense." Her stomach rumbled as though it was listening. She was getting hungrier by the minute. It made sense if Sam also wanted to find food. But she wondered where was he gonna get it.

"Can— Can I just get my boyfriend here? I'm sure he's also interested in getting food." She asked. Her expression becoming more serious as she said so.

"Sure. More company is appreciated. So long as my stick is sharpened." He said, brushing the sweat off his forehead. "Oh, and leave the book here."

She left. Brian was left alone again. With his knife, he continued to make a hole in the middle of one of the sticks.

"They might just be able to do it. Maybe they'll find some food. But I still doubt it'll be enough for all of us."

After making a big enough hole on the stick, he stuck the other stick in. Making a cross. He took the book with him and walked to a place not far away.

"..."

"It's not entirely impossible that we're in another world. It might be like Re:Zero all over again." He sighed. He used to watch anime a few years back. Even though there were a lot of trash Isekais nowadays, Re:Zero was one of the few treasures in the sea of mud. It really helped with his depression.

"Or maybe Sword Art Online..."

Using his hands, he made a small mound on the ground before writing the name 'Brandon' on the cross. He stabbed the cross on the mound. He took a few steps back and sighed again.

"Sorry, Brandon. I know shouldn't have left you behind." He apologized, but no one answered. "But it was your fault for puking. And it was your fault for screaming. And it was your fucking fault for being an idiot."

"..." The stick stood firm.

"I'm sorry." Brian awkwardly scratched his head. He'd never done this before, "I hope you can rest in peace. You saved many people. You died a hero. I know I'm a coward for leaving you behind, and I don't expect you to forgive me but..."

"I'm sorry..."